


searching through the crowd

by lily_winterwood



Series: Intersections [1]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic), Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: 2015 Cup of China, 2016 World Figure Skating Championships, Bitty is a shameless figure skating fanboy, Coming Out, Gays. Gays on Ice., M/M, Mild canon divergence, Playing fast and loose with timelines yay, Representation Matters, Spoilers for Yuri on Ice Episode 7, excessive amounts of Beyonce went into the making of this, figure skating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-21
Updated: 2016-11-21
Packaged: 2018-09-01 05:14:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8610187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lily_winterwood/pseuds/lily_winterwood
Summary: Conversation with Larissa DuanBitty: LARDO DID YOU SEE VIKTOR’S NEW INSTA POSTLardo: ...FUCKLardo: NO WAY :OBitty: He’s gone to Japan I cannot believeLardo: omfg he’s totally training katsuki ;)))Bitty: That’s like me getting checking practice with bad bob instead of jack lmaoSeveral intersections in the lives of Eric Bittle and Yuuri Katsuki.





	1. and i'm crashing into you

**Author's Note:**

> So. I got tired of waiting for an OMGCP/YoI crossover. It turns out, though, that the season that YoI takes place in is the 2015-2016 season, which incidentally coincides with Bitty and Jack getting together, so it works out pretty well. Though I still played fast and loose with the exact dates, as the Cup of China takes place before the tweets about Bitty and Jack coming out to their friends. 
> 
> Everything after part ii is like, total speculation for both OMGCP and YoI, so it may be subject to retconning in the future. Also additional moments may be inserted in between ii and iii as more updates for both come out C:

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> spring 2015

**Ain’t No Group Chat Like a SMH Group Chat**  
Lardo: BITS. YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS. [ link]  
Bitty: ( ꒪Д꒪)ノ  
Bitty: (×_×;）  
Bitty: are you SURE that’s Katsuki omfg  
Ransom: who the fuck is that  
Bitty: He’s this Japanese skater  
Bitty: Also he’s too pure for this world  
Bitty: Kinda like Chowder now that I think of it  
Bitty: But he finished last at the GPF last year so it’s good to see him still hard at work lol  
Lardo: i was rooting for him honestly, the baby clearly has anxiety and needs all the reassurance he can get  
Bitty: (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و I hope we’ll see him at the GPF again! I mean looking at this he clearly has the skills for it  
Lardo: ikr  
Chowder: Aww Bitty!!! <3

* * *

**Eric Bittle** @omgcheckplease  
#YuuriKatsuki’s video of him skating #ViktorNikiforov’s Stay Close to Me routine is amazing. #TBT #caniuseTBThere

* * *

There were some days when Eric Bittle really missed figure skating.

If he was really being honest with himself, it was more like “most days in which I have practice in which someone might try to check me”. Sure, the team was supportive of him whether he took a check or not, but violence on ice wasn’t the sole reason why he missed figure skating.

There was just so very little room for artistry in ice hockey. Whether out of safety concerns (it was pretty dangerous to have a spinning skate blade within inches of you, after all), or simply because toxic masculinity barred most hockey players from even considering anything as ‘girly’ as pirouetting away from their problems, hockey just didn’t have enough room for self-expression in an artistic sense, and Bitty had always been more drawn to the sleek, fluid moves of figure skating rather than the brute strength and speed of hockey. But he had to do what he could to avoid homophobic attacks back home, and ditching figure skating for hockey had been the best choice at the time.

Of course, a part of him would always wonder how far he could have gone if he had stuck to figure skating. He never got past junior regionals, but what if he had? What if he’d gotten into sectionals? Or nationals? What if he’d made a senior debut like he had planned to before those boys on the football team had locked him in a supply closet all night?

It had now been a week since Bitty first watched the Yuuri Katsuki video. And now here he was, centre ice in Faber after practice, his iPod blasting Beyoncé into his ears as he mapped out the structure of his old short programme routine.

He began to skate through the routine again, and it was as if his body just _knew_ — just _remembered_ what it was like to fly across the ice like this. It was imperfect; his hockey skates lacked the structure for maneuvering as gracefully as he would have liked. But the exhilaration was the same.

Triple axel. Double loop. Step sequence. Queen Bey’s song rushed into an exhilarating chorus, and Bitty skated with it, enjoying the feeling of the cold rink air against his face.

“Bittle!” Bitty heard his name called dimly across the ice, and he pulled an earbud out and turned to see Jack Zimmermann there at the edge of the ice, already showered and changed with an expression of confusion on his (perfectly chiselled, Bitty’s terrible traitorous brain reminded him) face. “What are you doing?”

“Just going through my old routine,” Bitty said, shrugging.

Jack nodded, seemingly at a loss for words. “We’re going to grab brunch,” he said after a moment. “The team is, I mean. At Jerry’s. Do you want to come?”

“I’ll catch up,” said Bitty.

“Oh.” Jack’s voice seemed unnaturally quiet. “Well. Um. I was hoping we could — could I — are you staying here?”

“Yeah.” Bitty smiled. “I’m just reliving some of my glory days for a bit longer. You don’t need to stay.”

“No!” Jack seemed...flustered? Bitty could feel his heart pounding a little harder at the thought of that. “I. I have some stuff for photography class actually. Do you mind if I took some pictures?”

“Not at all,” said Bitty, and returned to his skating.

It was good, really, for him to put the earbuds back in and return to his programme. Now the world narrowed to just him, the ice, and his music. He began the step sequence again, mounting into a triple and double loop combination at the end of it. There were flickers and flashes at the side of the rink where Jack’s camera was, but that seemed almost peripheral.

His spins were a little less controlled due to the lack of a toe pick, and he probably looked like a right fool trying to ease out of them with any semblance of grace, but the clicks of Jack’s camera to the side told him that his captain did not give a damn about whether or not it looked _artistic_ enough. And in a way, that was bracing. Jack wasn’t a judge; he probably couldn’t tell the difference between any of the jumps in figure skating. But he wouldn’t deduct points, either, and it was damn good to feel like he was doing better than Jack Laurent Zimmermann at something for once.

Bitty finished his programme with a flourish, and only when he took out his earbuds could he hear Jack’s applause. “You did great,” Jack said as soon as Bitty was at the rinkside, and Bitty couldn’t help but smile at that.

“I’m a little rusty,” he said, though he really didn’t mean to be self-deprecating, and Jack’s brows furrowed slightly as if he could sense that.

“You could teach me some of those jumps. Might help me come up with creative new ways to shoot goals,” he chirped, and Bitty couldn’t help but laugh at that.

“I think the next time I’m home I’ll bring my figure skates back up,” he admitted as they headed towards the locker rooms. “Trust me, all of these moves look a lot better when your skates have a toe pick.”

“I’m sure they do,” said Jack. “How long have you been figure skating?”

“I started when I was seven and quit at sixteen for hockey, so… nine years of just figure skating, I guess,” replied Bitty, shrugging. “I mean, I still mess around on the ice in my free time, but I don’t do competitions anymore.”

Jack made a hum of interest. “And how far did you get in competitions?” he asked.

“Just regionals,” Bitty admitted.

“I wouldn’t have guessed,” said Jack, with a lopsided grin that made Bitty’s insides melt. “Maybe someday you’ll be able to pick it up again and go international, eh?”

“Not before you get on Team Canada for the Olympics, I imagine,” replied Bitty, as his stomach growled and reminded him that there was a brunch he was missing. “Okay, I gotta shower and change. Wait for me?”

“Definitely,” said Jack, and Bitty’s heart skipped a beat.

* * *

**Conversation with Larissa Duan**  
Lardo: bits  
Lardo: did u hear  
Bitty: !!! (☉_☉)  
Lardo: IKR HE JUST WON THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS AGAIN WTF IS HE DOING  
Bitty: (ㄒoㄒ)  
Bitty: He’s too young to leave us  
Lardo: i mean it’s not really a retirement, he just said he’d be taking a break to regain his inspiration  
Bitty: Yeah but that’s like a mini-retirement  
Bitty: Like what if Russia declares him ineligible like they did to Plushenko  
Lardo: lmao like they’ll do that  
Bitty: Pls he hasn’t gone to the olympics yet they could still ban him  
Lardo: :O don’t even THINK about it  
Bitty: #ripviktornikiforov  
Lardo: it’s a dark day for figure skating indeed

* * *

“I still can’t believe Viktor Nikiforov is taking a hiatus,” moaned Bitty into his pillow.

“Viktor who?” asked Jack, who was leaning against his bed, reading something that looked like history homework.

Bitty gasped in indignation. “Jack!”

“What?” Jack looked up, frowning. “I don’t know who this Viktor guy is. I don’t follow figure skating.”

Bitty made an agonising groan. _This boy_. “He’s the Bad Bob of figure skating,” he said.

He could almost hear Jack’s eyebrow raise. “Ah,” said Bad Bob’s son after a moment. “So he’s good.”

“ _Legendary_ ,” amended Bitty. “No one can do a quadruple flip like he can.”

“I’ll have to take your word on that.” Jack turned a page in his reading. “Why is he on hiatus?”

“Supposedly he’s trying to ‘regain his inspiration’ or something.” Bitty rolled over to stare up at the ceiling. “He just won his fifth consecutive Grand Prix and World Championship! If someone like him could burn out artistically while he’s still at the top of the world, how does that bode for us mere mortals?”

Jack raised an eyebrow in amusement. “You’d be surprised,” he replied, causing Bitty to jolt upright in bed.

“Oh my god, I’m sorry —”

“Eh, I’m used to it.” Jack shrugged. “What’s done is done. Besides, his reasons for going on hiatus aren’t related to drug use, right? So it’ll probably be easier for him to return.”

“I hope so.” Bitty sighed, and buried his face into Señor Bun’s threadbare fuzz. “There were rumours going around last season that he was going to quit, but I didn’t think he was going to do it, even temporarily. I mean, he was always saying ‘I’m not ruling out the Olympics’ and all, and I know he qualified, but then he had to pull out because of a back injury, so I guess everyone’s thinking this hiatus is actually because of that and not his motivation —”

“Bittle,” interrupted Jack, and Bitty felt a hand on his knee. “It’s going to be all right. I’m sure he’ll figure out whatever it is he needs to figure out, and he’ll be back.”

“I hope so,” replied Bitty, grinning. “And when he does, you’re watching the Grand Prix with me.”

“D’accord,” agreed Jack, and the good-natured grin on his face made the butterflies in Bitty’s stomach flutter.

* * *

**Viktor Nikiforov** @v-nikiforov  
Hasetsu Castle! #ninja

 **Eric Bittle** @omgcheckplease  
@v-nikiforov What are you doing in Japan????

 **Eric Bittle** @omgcheckplease  
@v-nikiforov Are you there to coach #YuuriKatsuki?

 **Eric Bittle** @omgcheckplease  
@v-nikiforov THE PUBLIC DEMANDS ANSWERS

* * *

**Conversation with Larissa Duan**  
Bitty: LARDO DID YOU SEE VIKTOR’S NEW INSTA POST  
Lardo: ...FUCK  
Lardo: NO WAY :O  
Bitty: He’s gone to Japan I cannot believe  
Lardo: omfg he’s totally training katsuki ;)))  
Bitty: That’s like me getting checking practice with bad bob instead of jack lmao  
Lardo: ok but all katsuki did was post that video thing  
Lardo: if that’s how u get viktor nikiforov to show up to train u then u know what we gotta do ;)  
Bitty: BRUH  
Bitty: I am for this 200%  
Bitty: #bitty4coachnikiforov2k15  
Lardo: next time u do sick jumps at practice i will so be there to record it

* * *

Bitty had brought his figure skates back up to Samwell, and he was having the time of his life.

It took him a rather embarrassingly long time to adjust back to figure skates after nearly a semester of hockey skates, but he got the hang of it again eventually. And then it was nothing but flying, nothing but speed and grace and the thrum of Queen Bey in his ears.

He spied several flashes of light to the side. Jack was there again, it seemed. Bitty waved, and Jack waved back.

At centre ice, Bitty stopped, took a deep breath, and began his routine. It unfolded before him, smooth as a dream, almost like he was greeting an old friend after years of absence. The imperfections in the ice from practice did complicate things a little, but it wasn’t too bad. He only fell once or twice, and still had enough padding on for it not to be a serious issue.

And when he executed a perfect quad Salchow, he could hear the click of Jack’s camera as it followed him across the ice.

* * *

**Eric Bittle** @omgcheckplease  
Sometimes I forget how great it feels to land a perfect jump #nailedthatquadsal #imissfigureskating

* * *

A couple weeks later, the Samwell Men’s Hockey team attended Jack’s photography class exhibition. Bitty noted with some pride that one of the photos that Jack chose to display was the one of his quad Salchow, suspended in a dream-like blur as a memory trapped in warm amber.

The fact that most of the other photos that Jack displayed were also of Bitty’s figure skating moves really shouldn’t have been surprising in retrospect, but maybe on that night Bitty was just being more clueless and in denial than usual. It did become more apparent to him, though, that fateful afternoon when Jack burst in on him packing after graduation.

And in the moment when their lips first met, Eric Bittle realised there were other ways to fly.


	2. baby, kiss me (before they turn the lights out)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cup of china, november 2015

**Eric Bittle** @omgcheckplease  
#CupofChina tonight with #YuuriKatsuki! Excited to see his routine! #imissfigureskating

* * *

**Ain’t No Group Chat Like a SMH Group Chat**  
Holster: bits is that u in the kitchen  
Chowder: Yeah! Bitty and I are watching figure skating!!  
Lardo: is it gp season already? oh fuck i gotta see this be down in a sec  
Chowder: It’s still the qualifying competitions! They’re in China rn  
Ransom: i didn’t know u followed figure skating chowder  
Chowder: Oh no, I don’t usually. But you know Bitty does since he was in the  
Chowder: Southern Junior Regionals  
Chowder: So he bribed me with pie to stay and watch with him  
Bitty: I thought you were here out of the goodness of your heart Chowder (ㄒoㄒ)  
Chowder: No! I didn’t mean it like that!! D:  
Chowder: It’s actually pretty cool! :'D  
Bitty: ⋛⋋( ‘◇’)⋌⋚  
Chowder: Bittyyyyyy!!!!  </3  
Ransom: what’s the score bits and lardo  
Bitty: Well currently Phichit Chulanont is leading I think  
Bitty: But we’re only at the second to last routine so who knows  
Lardo: maybe yuuri katsuki will beat him  
Bitty: Idk he looked super nervous earlier  
Ransom: bruh weren’t you guys talking about him like… last spring  
Ransom: like, something about him being coached by some guy named victor or something?  
Lardo: lmao oh my god rans u did not just say that  
Bitty: (ಠ_ಠ) Ummm excuse me  
Bitty: Viktor Nikiforov is not just SOME GUY  
Bitty: Y’all chirped me about bad Bob  
Bitty: So lemme tell you  
Bitty: Viktor Nikiforov is the bad Bob of figure skating  
Bitty: He’s won five Grand Prix IN A ROW  
Bitty: He’s basically a genius on ice ok  
Holster: careful bro jack might get jealous  
Bitty: Oh please he’s probably taken  
Bitty: If you know what I mean ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)  
Holster: r u referring to jack or viktor  
Bitty: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)  
Ransom: in all seriousness bits how can u take a costume like this seriously [link]  
Bitty: idk it does look like he stole it from Elsa or something  
Lardo: BITS. that COSTUME IS ART.  
Chowder: lol!  
Bitty: Rans did you start watching too?  
Bitty: You know you can just come down here right  
Bitty: I just finished a pie (✿◠‿◠)  
Ransom: bruh i am omw asap  
Jack: Someone mention me?  
Holster: bruhhh  
Ransom: bits says he’s leaving u for the bad bob of figure skating  
Jack: Ah, well, I had always suspected he was dating me to get at my father. :)  
Bitty: Jack! I’m offended! ( ≧Д≦)  
Bitty: You know it’s only you I want (¬‿¬)  
Ransom: GET A ROOM  
Holster: GET YOUR OWN PRIVATE CHAT  
Jack: We already have one.  
Bitty: Guys! Come over here! Yuuri Katsuki is on!

* * *

And that was how a small gaggle of hockey players (and Lardo) ended up squished together on the green couch in the living room, bent together over Bitty’s laptop. There was an occasional jostle as someone fumbled for the pie, but for the most part everyone seemed spellbound by the Cup of China unfolding in front of them.

“Bits, you ever done any of these moves before?” asked Holster.

Bitty shrugged. “I wasn’t allowed to do quads in competition. Katya said it was bad for my developing body.”

“Quads?” echoed Ransom, raising an eyebrow.

Bitty laughed. “Quadruple jumps.” There was a cheer from the screen. “You have to rotate four times before you hit the ice. See the one he just landed? That’s a quad Salchow.”

Lardo tilted her head to the side. “Katsuki’s doing better than I thought. He rarely ever lands that in competition.”

“Bruh. That’s better than what I could do, probably,” said Ransom, chuckling. “I’d be on my ass on the ice after like, two spins.”

“I’m sure you could still make a play out of it,” chirped Bitty, causing Ransom to cuff his head lightly.

There was another loud cheer from the screen. _That was a triple toe loop_ , the commentator remarked. _Perfectly executed! He’s really on a roll here. We could be looking at one of Katsuki’s best free skate performances of the season! He was never this good before; he always gets so affected by his pre-skate nerves and then his performance on the ice deteriorates as a result._

“Are all commentators this passive-aggressive in every sport, ever?” wondered Holster.

“At least the NHL ones don’t expect us to do jumps,” Ransom pointed out, chuckling.

“True. Bits would be an NHL legend if that were true.”

“Dude, you guys. Shut up,” said Lardo, as Bitty blushed.

Onscreen, Katsuki continued to skate to a quiet portion of the song, his expression serene.

 _Coming up next is one of his favourites, the triple Axel — Oops!_ There’s a thud. _He touched down! But at least he’s still on his feet, and mistakes here don’t seem to be affecting him as badly as they have in the past. Katsuki’s really got his zen on here._

There’s another perfectly executed jump, a slightly botched combination, and a perfect combination after that. “Dude. That’s mad impressive,” said Ransom.

“Respect, man,” agreed Holster.

“This is the second half of his program. Usually people get tired by this point,” Lardo mused, as Katsuki moved into a step sequence. “He doesn’t look fatigued at all!”

“You know what they say about figure skaters and lots of stamina, eh?” asked Ransom, nudging Bitty, who could feel his cheeks heat up.

There was a sudden deafening cheer, echoed by the shout of surprise from the commentator. Bitty and Lardo both lurched forward, staring at the screen in disbelief.

“No fucking way!” Lardo hissed.

“Was that —” whispered Bitty

“What’s everyone screaming about?” wondered Chowder. “He got up right after he fell, didn’t he?”

 _It’s a quadruple flip!_ The commentator seemed to be stuttering in disbelief. _He fell, but there seemed to have been enough rotations!_

“ _No way_!” shrieked Bitty.

“Okay, that was mad freakin air, bro, but why is everyone so excited? Do you get more points for it?” wondered Holster.

“Uh, yeah. He’s getting two more points for this than the jump he had planned to execute!” Lardo was visibly vibrating with excitement. “Also that jump’s a signature of Viktor Nikiforov!”

“But even _he_ doesn’t do it this late into the programme!” added Bitty.

The crowd in the rink was going nuts as well, as Yuuri Katsuki finished his routine gracefully, arms extended towards someone just off the side of the rink. The cameras panned to find a tall, silver-haired man in a brown coat standing at the side, his hands over his face.

“Oh god,” said Lardo, snickering. “I bet that was probably the figure skating equivalent of a love declaration.”

“It’s too bad Jack doesn’t have enough signature moves for me to copy into a routine,” mused Bitty, grinning.

“And we’d all feel uncomfortable if you became a protein-guzzling hockey robot,” added Holster.

Bitty shook his head, but then his attention fixed back upon the cameras, which were following Viktor Nikiforov as he started to run around the rink towards the kiss and cry section. Katsuki seemed to get it, as he started to skate there as well.

And then they met in the middle — or rather, Viktor Nikiforov flung himself at Yuuri Katsuki, and the cameras zoomed in just in time to see Viktor’s arms come up to obscure their faces, which were far too close together for it to just be a hug —

Bitty screamed.

Lardo gasped.

Chowder, Ransom, and Holster stared.

On screen the screams seemed to get even louder, as the cameras pulled back to show Viktor pulling back just slightly so they landed on the ice with their heads side-by-side. The commentator seemed lost for words, even as the cameras moved back in on the two men lying together on the ice, whatever words passing between them left unheard in the wake of the screaming crowd.

“Bits. Are you okay?” asked Holster after a moment.

“Bruh. He just saw a man kiss another man on international television. In China. During a sports event.” Ransom pointed out.

On screen Viktor clambered to his feet, helping Yuuri up as well, and they disappeared off the rink. Bitty reached up, feeling an unusual (but was it really that unusual?) wetness in his eyes. He wiped at them with a small sniffle, and then he smiled.

“I am so much more okay than I thought I’d be when I started watching,” he said. Lardo reached over to ruffle his hair, and they all settled back to watch the results of the competition.

* * *

**Eric Bittle** @omgcheckplease  
#LoveWins tonight at the #CupofChina ♥

* * *

**Conversation with Jack Zimmermann**  
Jack: Hey Bits. How was the skating thing?  
Bitty: Oh man Jack I am so overwhelmed like I am feeling so many things about what happened  
Jack: Wanna tell me about what happened?  
Bitty: There was a kiss Jack  
Jack: A kiss?  
Bitty: Viktor Nikiforov kissed Yuuri Katsuki  
Bitty: In front of the entire world  
Bitty: At a Grand Prix qualification event  
Jack: How are you feeling about it?  
Bitty: Well I had suspected that Viktor Nikiforov wasn’t as straight as people made him out to be  
Bitty: I mean have u seen him when he was younger  
Jack: I googled it. That was some sick flow he had there eh?  
Bitty: I didn’t know that Yuuri Katsuki wasn’t straight though  
Jack: Underestimating people’s sexualities again, Bittle? ;)  
Bitty: Jack! (ㄒoㄒ)  
Jack: I’m watching some of the news footage. People seem pretty shocked.  
Bitty: Well I can’t imagine that Russia is taking it well  
Jack: I heard Japan’s not too rosy about this stuff either. Better than China, though, last I heard.  
Bitty: Jack  
Bitty: Viktor Nikiforov is a skating legend  
Bitty: Now it looks like he’s bi.  
Bitty: Are you getting how much this would have meant to me if I had known when I was younger  
Jack: Yeah  
Jack: I get it  
Jack: It’s important for me, too.  
Bitty: I know we’re still a long ways away from coming out to the entire world  
Bitty: But god Jack  
Bitty: I want to do that to you too  
Bitty: Just be able to run down to the ice when you win the Cup and tackle you onto the ice like that  
Jack: Keep up your checking practice and you might be able to ;)  
Bitty: (ಠ_ಠ)  
Jack: No, I get it, Bits. I want that, too.  
Jack: You’d be surprised at how much I want it, honestly.  
Bitty: We’ll get there someday right?  
Jack: Definitely, Bits. I love you.  
Bitty: I love you too. ♥


	3. your love is as bright as ever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> march-april 2016

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> starting from here we're getting into canon-divergent/speculative territory! bear with me :)

**Conversation with Jack Zimmermann**  
Jack: Have you checked your email?  
Bitty: No  
Bitty: Gimme a sec  
Jack: :)  
Bitty: !!! (✿ ♥‿♥)  
Jack: I took some time off so I could come up and see it with you.  
Bitty: you shouldn’t have ♥  
Jack: I’m sorry we couldn’t watch the Grand Prix finals together  
Jack: Hope this makes up for it :)  
Bitty: ♥♥♥ ٩(♡ε♡ )۶

* * *

**Eric Bittle** @omgcheckplease  
Perks of having a friend who has too much money: rinkside seats at the #2016WorldFSChampionships #blessed

* * *

TD Garden seemed stuffed to the gills on the night of the Men’s Free Skate, and that was even before the press recognised Jack and temporarily diverted all attention away from the figure skaters to focus on him.

“Jack Zimmermann! What are you doing here tonight at the World Figure Skating Championships?” a reporter asked. Jack shook his head.

“My friend and former teammate at Samwell is an avid figure skater,” replied Jack, smiling graciously — and strangely not at all like the monosyllabic hockey robot he tended to become in the face of the press. “He has been following the progression of Mr Katsuki this season, so when I found out from a teammate that Katsuki would be skating for Japan here in Boston, I had to get us tickets to see it.”

The cameras latched onto Bitty, and he waved weakly for them, feeling his cheeks heat up.

“What do you think of Katsuki’s miraculous victories this season?” a reporter asked.

Jack cut in before Bitty could answer, and honestly Bitty couldn’t help but feel grateful for that, as he probably would have stammered out something terrible. “Yuuri Katsuki’s story this season has been an inspiration to both of us,” Jack said smoothly, and part of Bitty wondered if he had been rehearsing these lines _just in case_ the press noticed him tonight. “His is a story of perseverance and love, and giving a skilled performance in spite of one’s own demons. It’s something that applies to hockey as much as it does to figure skating.”

And then, with a grace that was clearly honed through endless hours of coaching with the Falconers’ PR team, Jack redirected the press’s attention back to the figure skaters in time for him and Bitty to slip into the arena.

“The nerve of the press,” grumbled Bitty as they found their seats. He still couldn’t believe how close they were to the ice; it was almost a breath away. “Can’t even let you watch figure skating without asking questions.”

“I’m used to it,” said Jack, shrugging, and Bitty couldn’t help but wonder if one day those four words could stop breaking his heart. “I’m just glad that I’m not on the ice this time.”

“I can’t even begin to imagine how Yuuri Katsuki must be feeling right now,” agreed Bitty with a small shudder.

“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” replied Jack, and though the addendum that Katsuki was probably fine because Viktor Nikiforov was with him went unsaid, Bitty could hear it all the same.

* * *

_For those folks who follow the NHL as well as figure skating, we have been treated tonight by a surprise visit from Jack Zimmermann, forward for the Providence Falconers. When asked why he was here, Zimmermann cited the performance of Japanese skater Yuuri Katsuki as his reason for coming._

_Katsuki’s performance this season has rightfully been dubbed a ‘miracle on ice’, though a miracle hardly even begins to describe the most surprising turns that he’s treated us to this season! First he unexpectedly introduced a quadruple flip into the second half of his free skate programme, as an homage to his idol and coach Viktor Nikiforov, and then there was that kiss that shocked the skating world!_

_With even the eyes of the hockey world starting to pay attention to his story, could we be in store for something even bigger this season from Yuuri Katsuki —_

“Yuuri.” The television switched off. Yuuri Katsuki blinked, and looked up to see Viktor Nikiforov frowning at him. “You know what watching the broadcast does to your nerves, dear.”

“ _Hockey players_ are citing me as their inspiration.” Yuuri wasn’t sure if he looked about as nauseous as he felt, but he had some suspicion that Viktor knew about it either way. “I’m… I’m still not used to this.”

He felt more than saw his coach and partner move to enfold him in a hug. He clung on nonetheless. Viktor’s cologne tickled his nose and comforted him a little.

“You look like you are going to faint,” murmured Viktor. “Catharsis has been good for you in the past, has it not, _moy porosenok_? There, there. Perhaps you should cry a little.”

“I can’t just cry on command,” sniffed Yuuri.

“Well, maybe there are other things we could do to get you to relax,” replied Viktor, and his tone of voice told Yuuri exactly what the Russian had in mind.

“Not right _now_!” he squeaked. Viktor laughed, squeezing Yuuri a little tighter in response. Yuuri smacked him in the shoulder, a half-hearted attempt to push him away. “You shouldn’t say things like that in public, you idiot!”

“Well, if you insist.” Viktor released him, but Yuuri barely had time to regain his breath before Viktor’s hands were on his back, rubbing soothing circles into it.

He closed his eyes. A rather lewd groan escaped his lips before he could stop it, and his cheeks flared up in response to Viktor’s laugh.

“Better?” asked Viktor in his ear.

Yuuri bit his lip, and nodded.  

“You did very well in the short programme last time,” Viktor continued, his voice calm and gentle. “One of your best performances of Eros this season, I think.”

Yuuri remembered Viktor showing _exactly_ how well that performance of Eros had went after he got off the ice, and felt his tips of his ears start to burn.

“You are going to be great tonight, too. I have faith in you. And even if you take some falls, I will still be there for you.”

Yuuri exhaled and leaned into Viktor’s soothing touch, all thoughts of how an actual NHL player was here tonight looking up to him fading from his mind. Of course the nauseated part of his brain was still there, but for the moment, Viktor’s affirmations were louder. And that was what mattered.

* * *

**Eric Bittle** @omgcheckplease  
Cheering for #YuuriKatsuki tonight at the #2016WorldFSChampionships #ganbatte

* * *

_Next to the ice, representing Japan, Yuuri Katsuki!_

“Oh, he’s currently ranked in second place!” Bitty exclaimed.

Yuuri Katsuki was a lot lankier in real life than Bitty had expected, or perhaps that was just his costume. It was the same as the one Viktor Nikiforov had worn in Juniors, and on Yuuri it made him look exceedingly swan-like.

“How much does he need to get to win?” asked Jack.

“I think the current leader score is 93.6, so he has to beat that at the least,” said Bitty.

“Maybe a hat trick will help,” said Jack, and Bitty laughed.

“I’m trying to picture you as a figure skater, and all I get is a very funny mental image.”

Jack shook his head. “Just as long as you don’t make me do jumps I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

“Jack! The entire _point_ of figure skating is jumps!” Bitty lightly thwacked his arm. “He’s about to begin.”

The piano music began to play. It was a routine familiar to Bitty now, and yet there was something about seeing it in person that made it feel new again. Yuuri Katsuki seemed even more graceful in person, the lights of the stadium causing the rhinestones in his costume to twinkle like stars. Sure, from here he couldn’t see the man’s expressions or anything, but the cameras couldn’t possibly capture the feeling of anticipation rolling off the spectators anyway.

Yuuri Katsuki began to skate, and Bitty was left breathless. Out here, there were no commentators to break up the moment with their observations about his jumps and technique. No way to have the experience filtered through passive-aggressive commentary that detracted from the performance. Katsuki went through his jumps, his spins, his combinations, and if he did any of them less than perfectly, Bitty honestly would have had no iea. Maybe one of the jumps was a little wobbly. Maybe he didn’t mean to touch the ice after the quad Salchow. Bitty clapped for him anyway.

Jack’s hand was tight in his throughout the routine, his expression pensive. Bitty began to imagine (not for the first time) how different things would have been if it had been him out there on the ice like that. If he had continued to do figure skating instead of switching to hockey. Would he have done nearly as well as Yuuri Katsuki was doing right now? Would he have ever met Jack?

And it was like the story being told on ice — the story of Yuuri Katsuki’s love — was like Bitty’s own. His belief that he was alone. His discovery of friendship and loyalty and love in the Samwell Men’s Hockey team. His relationship with Jack. It was love that brought him to where he was now, like how it was love that had brought Yuuri Katsuki this far.

Almost as if in reply, Katsuki skated by them at that moment, his arms extended, the smallest of smiles on his face. He looked at them as he passed by, and his smile broadened.

Bitty felt an inexplicable lightening of his chest, seized suddenly by the overwhelming realisation that everything was going to be okay. If love could get Yuuri Katsuki this far, it could do the same for him and Jack.

When Katsuki landed his quadruple flip perfectly, Bitty jumped to his feet and cheered.

And even though in the end Katsuki only scored high enough to keep the silver, it felt like a victory all the same.

* * *

**Eric Bittle** @omgcheckplease  
That was amazing. #YuuriKatsuki #2016WorldFSChampionships


	4. your face is all that i see (i'll give you everything)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> when the falconers win the stanley cup

The noise of the crowd was deafening.

The cheers from the Falconers section of the stadium drowned out the commiseration in the Penguins’. People were rising to their feet, screaming and waving banners, throwing memorabilia onto the ice, hugging and kissing each other. On the ice itself, Jack Zimmermann practically disappeared beneath a sea of blue-and-white teammates.

Everything was a blur after that, a strange surreal euphoric blur that Bitty couldn’t quite get to slow down or stop at all. There were handshakes, speeches, trophies. And then the captain was hoisting the Cup — the _Stanley Cup_! — over his shoulders, and everyone was screaming louder than ever.

And then once the captain made his rounds, he passed the Cup to Jack, and Jack, _his Jack_ , was hoisting the Cup as well, and the media was going wild, and all Bitty could think about as he watched this was how he was so _proud_ and so _in love_ with Jack at that very moment.

For a fleeting moment, a part of him wondered if that was how Viktor Nikiforov had felt after the surprise flip in Beijing.

And that was all his body needed, apparently, to spur itself into action. Before Bitty even really realised what he was doing, he was rising to his feet and dashing out of the family section of the stands, down towards the ice.

Jack caught sight of him just as he handed off the Cup to Tater, and the biggest grin came over his face. He began to skate over to him, and as Bitty reached the rinkside gate, someone — was it Georgia? — opened it for him.

Then, not caring that there were journalists and cameras crawling all over the ice, and that at least three of them were trained on Jack, Bitty tackled him and kissed him.

They went crashing down onto the ice together, all smiles and laughter and at least a little bit of pain, because all Jack had to break his fall were his padding and a portion of Bitty’s arm, and Bitty himself was in jeans and his Falconers jersey. But all Bitty knew was the feeling of adrenaline coursing through him and the pounding of his heartbeat loud in his ears.

Jack reached up, tracing the curve of Bitty’s cheek. “Nice check,” he chirped, causing Bitty to smack him lightly.

“You can keep your chirping to yourself, Mr Zimmermann!”

Jack laughed, unrepentant. “Any chance I could do that to you when Samwell goes to playoffs next year?”

“If you want,” replied Bitty, and kissed him again, and the cheers in the stadium sounded thunderous in their approval.

* * *

**Eric Bittle** @omgcheckplease  
#LoveWins tonight at the #StanleyCup

* * *

**Conversation with Phichit Chulanont  
** phichit_chu: you and v gotta see this: [link]

* * *

“I did not know Phichit followed hockey,” remarked Viktor Nikiforov as he draped himself over Yuuri Katsuki. They were (finally!) back home in Japan, in the familiar cosiness of Yuuri’s room.

“He and I used to catch some college games back in Detroit,” said Yuuri. He raised an eyebrow at the title of the video. “Jack Zimmermann kisses boyfriend after winning Stanley Cup. Huh.”

“Jack Zimmermann, is he not the hockey player that was interviewed at the World Championships in Boston?” Viktor pressed closer to Yuuri, his breath tickling Yuuri’s ear. “I did not know he had a boyfriend. I hear it is worse for gay hockey players than gay figure skaters, even in countries like America. Which is part of the reason why I didn’t go into hockey.”

“I can’t imagine you as a hockey player,” said Yuuri, rolling his eyes. “You’re such a stick, even after consuming so much katsudon. You’d get broken in half before you even handle the puck at all.”

“My piglet has such little faith in me,” sniffed Viktor. “I used to play a little with my friends when I was younger, before I started training with Yakov. When the canal behind my childhood home froze over all the boys would play together. I was always the fastest of them all so I scored the most goals.”

“That sounds adorable.” Yuuri laughed at the soft press of Viktor’s lips against the side of his head. “The kids’ hockey team here would always start their practice right in the middle of ours. I never liked them much.”

“Well, in Russia more people are interested in hockey, I think.” Viktor hummed thoughtfully. “Come World Series though, everyone else just wants to beat the Russians. Sometimes there is blood on the ice at these games.”

“I thought people wanted to beat the Russians in basically everything that could be classed as a competition.”

“Well, it is not our fault we are being such formidable opponents, no?”

“Or maybe people just have opinions about your country’s government.”

Viktor harrumphed. “Touché, piglet.”

Yuuri chuckled, and then started playing the video. It was news footage of the Stanley Cup victory, obviously, and in the first couple of seconds they watched the somewhat-familiar dark-haired hockey player take a lap around the rink, the Stanley Cup hoisted over his shoulders. “I still can’t believe he said I was inspirational.”

“I’m frankly shocked there aren’t more people saying you’re inspirational,” retorted Viktor. Yuuri felt his cheeks burn at that.

On screen, Jack Zimmermann handed the cup off to another player. Viktor gasped at the sight of the other player.

“Alexei! I have been wondering where he went after Mila dumped him.”

“You know that guy?”

“Yes, yes, he used to show up to the rink when Mila was practising — you remember Mila, yes? From Rostelecom?”

“Yeah, she was nice!” Yuuri laughed weakly. “It’s a small world, huh?”

“Indeed.” Viktor pressed another kiss into Yuuri’s hair. Onscreen the camera followed Jack as he hurried back to the rinkside just as a young blond man came barrelling down the steps to the gate.

The gate then opened, and it was like déjà-vu — the young blond man tackled Jack onto the ice with a kiss, and Yuuri couldn’t help but smile at just how _happy_ they looked when they pulled apart.

“Seems like they were inspired by more than just your skating, darling,” remarked Viktor. Yuuri laughed at that, because there was no way this was a coincidence, and the fact that he was able to touch the lives of these two people in such a way because of what he had done this season made him feel like he could fly.

* * *

**Conversation with Phichit Chulanont**  
phichit_chu: you and v gotta see this: [ link]  
katsuki_yuuri: (*0*)/ I’m so touched!  
phichit_chu: (＾▽＾) they’re cute just like you and v, i’m so glad they did that. they’re so brave  
katsuki_yuuri: (´•ω•`๑) We should wish them all the best!

* * *

**Viktor Nikiforov** @v-nikiforov  
@omgcheckplease @jlzimmermannoffical Congratulations from both me and Yuuri!

 **Eric Bittle** @omgcheckplease  
@v-nikiforov THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE

**Author's Note:**

> i'm on [tumblr](http://omgkatsudonplease.tumblr.com/) if you wanna flail some more :)


End file.
